Traditional lifestyles of lowland rice farmers of the southern provinces of Lao People’s Democratic Republic are rapidly changing, due to two important trends. Firstly, there is a push towards modernization and commercialization of farming. Secondly, though farmers still focus on rice farming as a key activity, there is an increasing move towards diversification of livelihoods. The changes have seen the uptake of non-rice crops, livestock husbandry and forest and river utilization; as well as non-farming activities. This has influenced gender relations, impacting household agricultural production decisions and amplified transitional trends. To explore the processes, we analyzed data from a study of innovation adoption amongst rice farmers in southern Lao PDR. The study revealed nuances of gender-based differences in the priorities and attitudes towards farming and off-farm activities, as well as differences in behaviour related to the adoption of new practices. Women were more focused on non-farming practices and considered engaging in the modern, non-traditional, economy more so than men. Women also reported experiencing greater challenges when engaging and trading in the agricultural marketplace. The study supports the importance of taking a gendered approach to understanding the inherent complexities within agrarian change.

中文翻译：

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农业转型中的性别角色：老挝低地水稻种植研究

由于两个重要趋势，老挝人民民主共和国南部省份低地稻农的传统生活方式正在迅速改变。首先，推动农业现代化和商业化。其次，尽管农民仍将稻米种植作为一项关键活动，但生计多样化的趋势越来越大。这些变化见证了非水稻作物、畜牧业和森林和河流利用的增加；以及非农业活动。这影响了性别关系，影响了家庭农业生产决策并放大了过渡趋势。为了探索这些过程，我们分析了老挝南部稻农创新采用研究的数据。该研究揭示了在优先事项和对农业和非农活动的态度方面基于性别的差异，以及与采用新做法相关的行为差异。与男性相比，女性更关注非农业实践，并被认为更多地参与现代、非传统的经济活动。妇女还报告说，在农业市场上参与和交易时遇到了更大的挑战。该研究支持采用性别方法来理解农业变化中内在复杂性的重要性。妇女还报告说，在农业市场上参与和交易时遇到了更大的挑战。该研究支持采用性别方法来理解农业变化中内在复杂性的重要性。妇女还报告说，在农业市场上参与和交易时遇到了更大的挑战。该研究支持采用性别方法来理解农业变化中内在复杂性的重要性。